1. Requirement for a houseman.
This part is specifically for medical students who soon are going to do noble jobs of doctoring. If you think the main criteria you are obliged to have is to know everything especially the theory part of medicine - you are completely wrong. When your university said they want to produce a safe doctor who are able to treat patient, they are totally right with the aim. As a houseman, this is your job: You will be seeing many patients with various different presentations, either as referred cases or first hand patients then you have to decide what to do next and if there is need to ring the senior, just pray that they are in good mood (and not just woke up from sleep!).
If you study in the UK and pampered with the rules of giving feedback - that is to start with positive things and then only go on with the negatives - in which case, no matter how stupid or how wrong you are, most of the time you will still get credit and be motivated that way because people will start with 'the things that u did good was....' and end with '...but you can improve on .......', so if you are being pampered with this kind of feedback, please please please prepare yourself for a total 360 degree change where most of the time you might be criticised and the only means of learning might be through critics, or even humiliation. Especially if your brain works very slowly particularly under pressure (like mine), there is no other things you can do apart from you motivating your own self and continuous prayer asking for a better tomorrow if not a better you. I am sure all the seniors want you to be good doctors even when you are being told off by them - it is probably like parents scolding off the kids so they become useful people later on
This part is specifically for medical students who soon are going to do noble jobs of doctoring. If you think the main criteria you are obliged to have is to know everything especially the theory part of medicine - you are completely wrong. When your university said they want to produce a safe doctor who are able to treat patient, they are totally right with the aim. As a houseman, this is your job: You will be seeing many patients with various different presentations, either as referred cases or first hand patients then you have to decide what to do next and if there is need to ring the senior, just pray that they are in good mood (and not just woke up from sleep!).
If you study in the UK and pampered with the rules of giving feedback - that is to start with positive things and then only go on with the negatives - in which case, no matter how stupid or how wrong you are, most of the time you will still get credit and be motivated that way because people will start with 'the things that u did good was....' and end with '...but you can improve on .......', so if you are being pampered with this kind of feedback, please please please prepare yourself for a total 360 degree change where most of the time you might be criticised and the only means of learning might be through critics, or even humiliation. Especially if your brain works very slowly particularly under pressure (like mine), there is no other things you can do apart from you motivating your own self and continuous prayer asking for a better tomorrow if not a better you. I am sure all the seniors want you to be good doctors even when you are being told off by them - it is probably like parents scolding off the kids so they become useful people later on
In summary, if you want to prepare yourself to become a houseman, learn this:
1. Familiarise yourself with learning by humiliation/critics.
2. Do your jobs very very very quickly or you will be stuck in the ward forever.
3. Be able to present patient very concisely.
4. Know the name (especially specialists) of the person you are going to talk to before talking to them. Make full use of the committee chart even though the picture might be too small or too old for you to recognise the person you are yet to see.
5. Agree wholeheartedly that doctoring is a noble job and you are not to become a doctor because of the typical reason 'my parents want me to'. Holding tight to religious teaching and having Him who always listens helps.
6. Able to say no to jobs during your tagging duration because that is the only time you can learn even though patients are supposed to be your everything once you become a doctor. If you don't learn during the tagging time, you are in big trouble to learn
7. Familiarise yourself being called 'doctor' on your first day of placement.
8. Have lots of practical knowledge not just theory and be able to put them together quickly and be able to impress the consultants.
9. Appreciate that H.O = humble orang. If you did wrong, you are wrong. If you did nothing wrong, you are still wrong. If you did right and being blamed for, you are still wrong. Try not to answer back. This is the hardest thing of all I think, as human beings naturally have the tendency to defend themselves.
(to be continued, if there is time and mood)
I know the way I am writing this, it sounds so bad, but what I know is I am learning and trying to improve every day (slowly maybe, but getting there hopefully), and it is not actually that bad when you are enjoying the learning and jobs and the talking to the patients bits. I just hope I will survive my 5 consecutive EOD (every other day) oncall starting Sunday. Wish me the best!
1. Familiarise yourself with learning by humiliation/critics.
2. Do your jobs very very very quickly or you will be stuck in the ward forever.
3. Be able to present patient very concisely.
4. Know the name (especially specialists) of the person you are going to talk to before talking to them. Make full use of the committee chart even though the picture might be too small or too old for you to recognise the person you are yet to see.
5. Agree wholeheartedly that doctoring is a noble job and you are not to become a doctor because of the typical reason 'my parents want me to'. Holding tight to religious teaching and having Him who always listens helps.
6. Able to say no to jobs during your tagging duration because that is the only time you can learn even though patients are supposed to be your everything once you become a doctor. If you don't learn during the tagging time, you are in big trouble to learn
7. Familiarise yourself being called 'doctor' on your first day of placement.
8. Have lots of practical knowledge not just theory and be able to put them together quickly and be able to impress the consultants.
9. Appreciate that H.O = humble orang. If you did wrong, you are wrong. If you did nothing wrong, you are still wrong. If you did right and being blamed for, you are still wrong. Try not to answer back. This is the hardest thing of all I think, as human beings naturally have the tendency to defend themselves.
(to be continued, if there is time and mood)
I know the way I am writing this, it sounds so bad, but what I know is I am learning and trying to improve every day (slowly maybe, but getting there hopefully), and it is not actually that bad when you are enjoying the learning and jobs and the talking to the patients bits. I just hope I will survive my 5 consecutive EOD (every other day) oncall starting Sunday. Wish me the best!
